Recently, Daimler Truck announced that it has selected Aeva, a tech company that specializes in producing sensors for autonomous vehicles, for its series production autonomous commercial vehicle program.
As part of the deal, Aeva will provide Daimler Truck with its cutting-edge Aeva Atlas automotive-grade 4D LiDAR technology. Additionally, Aeva will team up with Torc Robotics to empower SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle capabilities, starting with the Class 8 Freightliner Cascadia truck platform.
According to Daimler, the company plans to seamlessly integrate LiDAR sensors into its production process. This means customers won’t have to retrofit sensors to make their trucks autonomous, because the trucks will have all the kit they need for autonomous driving right out of the showroom. Meanwhile, Torc will offer its virtual driver technology and Mission Control services as a subscription to customers, with its driving software using Aeva's perception software.
“Selecting the right LiDAR technology is a crucial strategic decision to safely deploy autonomous trucks on the road. We are convinced that Aeva with its cutting-edge and reliable technology is the right production partner for LiDAR sensors and has the manufacturing capabilities to scale along with us.”
What makes Aeva’s LiDAR sensors unique? Unlike traditional LiDAR sensors, which rely on laser pulses to gauge distances to objects, Aeva's 4D LiDAR technology utilizes Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW). This approach employs a low-power continuous laser beam to simultaneously calculate the range and velocity for each point. As a result, it instantaneously distinguishes between static and dynamic points while accurately identifying the precise velocity of dynamic objects. In layman’s terms, Aeva’s 4D LiDAR sensor can accurately identify moving objects and non-moving objects as well as precisely determine the speed at which the object is moving.
According to Daimler Truck, the extensive collaboration is set to kick off in the first quarter of 2024, with Aeva commencing production by 2026 and Daimler Truck scaling up its production by 2027.
Back home in the Philippines, it might take a while before we see fully autonomous trucks or vehicles for that matter, roaming our streets. Sure, most production cars have adaptive cruise control which speeds and brakes for you, but, it’s not the full automation that autonomous trucks in Europe are now capable of. With any luck, the advancement of autonomous trucks and vehicles will mean that they can reach our shores someday, hopefully soon.
If you’re looking for a new truck, you can check out an extensive catalog of available trucks in the Philippines on TruckDeal.com.ph. Find your next reliable business partner without any hassle.
